Copper vs Brass vs Stainless in thru wire bass crankbaits

[Stickman Baits]

What's the reasoning for selecting one type of wire over the others??

[woodieb8]

i know stainless can withstand more. trolling baits constantly being pulled would wear out brass over time. stainless i believe will retain its shape better also.

[BobP]

For thru-wire, I use SOFT ss wire which is slightly harder than soft brass but much softer than tempered ss. .040" soft brass works fine too. I don't like copper because it discolors and can cause split rings to corrode. Brass doesn't seem to do that. On balsa bass baits, soft wire is easier to form, much easier to tune, and won't damage the finish if you bend it. I use soft ss wire on all line ties but make hand-wound screw eyes for tail hangers from hard ss. No problems yet with any breakage or deforming - but I fish in the SE where big toothy critters are very rare.

[clemmy]

In my opinion, much as the others have stated:

the softer wire is easier to form, and easier to tune. Harder, especially spring-tempered of any type, harder to form, but is stronger, more durable and holds it's tune better. So there's no "right" choice, it just depends on who/what you are making baits for...

Hope this helps,

Clemmy

[jamie]

In my opinion, much as the others have stated:

the softer wire is easier to form, and easier to tune. Harder, especially spring-tempered of any type, harder to form, but is stronger, more durable and holds it's tune better. So there's no "right" choice, it just depends on who/what you are making baits for...

Hope this helps,

Clemmy

I agree 100%

[Stickman Baits]

I'm wanting to create a bait that hunts, Thanks for the help. You guys are amazing

[Vodkaman]

Brass wire is not going to give you a hunting action. True, a few years ago, this was considered to be the case, but I think it was just a coincidence.

[BobP]

I think a soft wire line tie can help a bait hunt but it isn't sufficient in and of itself. The bait also has to be designed to be on the edge of instability. I stopped building for hunting action because pushing that envelope also means exceeding it on some baits, requiring a lot of "detuning" to make the bait usable (if at all possible). Now I feel that if you want a bait to run erratically, the best thing to do is run it into as many pieces of cover as you possibly can. Same end result and a lot less aggravation. JMHO

[Vodkaman]

Try a flat bottomed lip, wider than usual. Round bottomed lips will not hunt, according to my theories and experience. Also, keep the lip angle steep, as for a shallow runner (only because I have not built any deep diving hunters yet). This, as BobP mentioned, is only half the story. The density of the body, the vertical distribution of the ballast and the width of the lip, all play a part in the hunter equation.

I don't find it as difficult as some people make it out to be, but don't expect it to work first time. Another thing, do your testing with hardware and top coat. Because it is a fine balance, the addition of the hardware is enough to throw the balance off. Once the combination is arrived at, I find that reproducing the hunt is not a problem.

I'll try to take a video of my current lure in action over the weekend, it depends how many people are using my lure testing facility, I keep catching kids swimming in it.

As for the brass wire, I only use soft stainless steel 0.031" diameter. Good luck, and post your findings and results.